The Rumour (Chapter 1)
Title: The Rumour(1/?)
Author: badenoughforyou
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Jalex
Summary: Jack has fallen inevitably head over heels for his best friend. Truth is, Alex doesn't feel the same way until the night one "staged" kiss changes that all forever.
Disclaimer: None of this is real, yo. And I own nobody. The title credit goes to You Me at Six.
A/N: So, I wanted to start another story for a good reason. I just wanted to get my mind away from Anywhere Else But Here because if I step back from it, I'll be able to come up with awesome ideas. So do not fret if it takes me a while to update that one. I'd rather give you guys my best than some shitty writing I had to come up with to just post something. In the mean while, I'll definitely be writing more one shots and such. <3
Master Post
The tour bus never seemed so fucking loud. Alex was actually trying to sleep for once. He had felt like shit all day and the last thing he wanted to do was party it up before the biggest venue they'd ever played in their own hometown. He curled himself into a ball in his bunk, trying to block out the beats of the music that was way too loud and the whooping and laughter of his bandmates and crew. He couldn't stand it. He could hear Jack saying he wanted to watch Home Alone for the millionth time.
He shoved his head under his pillow, but that did pretty much nothing. He figured the only way he was going to get any sleep was if he slept outside or something. And that sounded pretty promising at the moment. He groaned with defeat and swung his legs over the bed and hopped out with a small thump. He was hit with the fact that he was hardly dressed, but they had all seen his dick before. There wasn't much to hide from them now. He sluggishly made his way to the front of the bus, glaring at anyone who tried to talk to him.
"I'm going for a walk." He said gruffly, not even sure anyone had heard him at this point. He stumbled down the bus stairs, feeling more and more fatigued with each step. He hadn't even put shoes on. He sat in the grass by the side of the bus and leaned against the large vehicle. He sighed and looked up at the stars, taking everything in. It was still hard to grasp their fame, really. He felt as if he'd blinked and all those years just passed by. He felt a knot in his stomach. Sometimes he wondered if he was doing this for all the right reasons.
He clutched himself, shaking and cursing himself for at least not putting on a hood before venturing outside. He pulled his knees to his chest and breathed out, closing his eyes. "Lex?" He heard a familiar voice. In fact, it was probably the voice he was most familiar with in his whole life of being Alex. Not even his own mother's voice struck his heart strings quite like this one.
"Hmm?" He asked, trying to be as nonchalant as possible as his best friend sat next to him.
"You look fucking cold, bro." Jack said, chuckling softly and licking his lips absent-mindedly. Alex shrugged, leaning into him, taking in the heat of him and shivering. Jack wrapped his arms around the shivering boy and buried his face into the older boy's hair. He'd always loved how Alex smelled. It was a comforting thing for him.
"Why are you being Mr. Grumpy Pants tonight?" Jack asked with a slight whine. Alex sighed and pulled away a little.
"Terribly fucking sorry I wanted to get some sleep tonight. I still have this fucking headache." Alex said stubbornly, sacrificing Jack's warmth and hugs for his own dignity. Jack poked his stomach and smiled.
"I was just kidding, Lex. I'm not that mean." Jack said, giving the boy a small frown. Alex couldn't help but smile a bit. Jack had that effect on people. Either that, or he made people want to strangle him. But that's what made him love Jack so much. The fact that he just didn't give a flying fuck either way.
"I know…" Alex said, deciding to resume his position cuddling Jack. He couldn't stay bitter at the raven haired boy for much more than three minutes these days. "I just… I've been feeling crappy lately and I'm really trying… to not be a bitter asshole, but I'm kind of doing a shitty job, eh?" He asked, looking up at Jack. Jack bit his lip as if in thought.
"Yep, basically." He said with a cheeky smile. Alex nudged him roughly. "I'm kidding!" Jack protested.
"Good." Alex said, sighing, suddenly feeling as if he could fall asleep. His eyelids felt heavy and he was having trouble forming more than a two word sentence. Jack hugged him closer, loving that Alex was his. But not in the way he wanted. Jack wanted so much more. But Alex had a girlfriend. And Jack supposedly liked girls. The thought made his heart heavy.
"Sleep tight, Lex…" Jack murmured as Alex nuzzled into his chest, sighing in content.
But Jack was far from content.
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"What the fuck is up, Baltimore!" Alex yelled into the microphone, feeling much better after his much needed sleep. The crowd roared in response. In that moment, Alex knew he was in this for every right reason. Just seeing the reaction from the crowd in every city at every show was enough for the boy to realize that.
He looked over at Jack, grinning like an idiot as Rian played a spastic drum solo.
"Rian, shut the fuck up!" Jack yelled, playing a few riffs to match the crashes of the cymbals.
"You have no idea what it's like to be back home. Always my favorite shows." Alex said, grinning and stepping back from the mic. Jack started to strum Coffeeshop Soundtrack, making their last words drown in the music. Alex knew he would never get over the feeling of the bass pulsing through him, the crowd cheering, the look on each of their faces as they played the songs they knew every word to by heart. That feeling would never get old.
At the finish, Alex felt weightless, strumming the final chord. It gave him a sense of duty to be up there. It didn't feel like a job. It felt like it was just what he was meant to do and he so happened to get paid for it.
Jack never got tired of seeing the look on Alex's face at the end of a song, on the other hand. He couldn't help but stare with his lips parted slightly, taking in the energy that took him over. He soon realized that Alex had said something in jest and Jack hadn't responded like he usually did. The crowd was silent, waiting for an answer. Jack flushed and Zack helped him recover by playing a bass solo as if to build up to the answer he didn't even know the question or statement to.
"Fuck, I just get distracted up here sometimes. Alex is looking pretty hot tonight!" Jack said, redeeming himself, making the crowd scream. He wasn't lying, though. Alex just laughed his adorable laugh.
"Dammit, Jack. I didn't know you'd get so attached after one night." Alex said, winking. Jack chuckled.
"You know you feel the same way about me." Jack said, feeling as if he sounded a bit too serious and lacking of dick jokes. He saw something flicker in the older boy's eyes, but he just continued the banter effortlessly as if he wasn't analyzing the words of his friend so closely.
"Don't be so quick to assume. Your dick is way to small for me, buddy." Alex said, laughing. Jack was uncharacteristically silent. Alex just brushed it off.
"So, this next song is called Forget About It. It's a pretty awesome song on our pretty awesome new album." Alex said as the crowd cheered before he even finished the song name. He felt that feeling in his chest again as Jack started playing.
"You are a handful of roses. Thorns in a cheap bouquet…" Alex started singing softly, building up to the chorus. But he felt Jack near him, and soon he felt his lips against his cheek. The crowd just couldn't take the amount of Jalex they were receiving tonight. But, oh, how they weren't prepared for what was next. And neither was Alex.
A small break in the lyrics brought Jack's lips to Alex's cheek once again, but this time, Alex turned his head to connect his lips to Jack's as a way to get the crowd wound up. But what he didn't intend on doing was liking it… a lot. This wasn't a normal peck that usually took place every couple of shows. This was something else. Something on a completely different level and Alex was sucked into it quickly. Soon, only Zack and Rian were left playing in moderate confusion as the two guitars stopped rather abruptly.
The moment Jack felt Alex's lips on his, he had expected it to be quick. But he definitely didn't expect that Alex would pushed him into one of the amps, hungrily kissing him as if his life depended on it. The crowd's reaction was almost deafening. Jack couldn't believe it. He felt his heart beating wildly and his hands wandering over the other boy's body as if nobody was watching.
Alex felt wonderful. He felt suddenly complete and there was absolutely nothing denying that there was something there. But soon reality came on like a bucket of ice water. He practically leapt away from the guitar player, feeling dirty and terrified. He'd just done something that he couldn't undo. Sure, he could convince the crowd it was a stage thing, but the look on Jack's face made him realize Jack had felt the same way. The feeling in his gut was unbearable, but Jack helped him play it off.
"You guys are always asking for that! We finally compiled all of your requests into one passionate moment!" Jack said excitedly, but he wasn't fooling Alex. He could tell that his mind was racing and he was struggling to keep up.
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Back on the bus, everyone was thinking the same thing. There was a question hanging in the air, clogging up the usual party like atmosphere of the bus. Alex felt constricted, avoiding the stares and questioning gazes of Zack, Rian, Matt and Danny, the ones who saw the whole thing go down. The others were quickly aware though.
"Mad tongue action up there, guys." Danny said, laughing slightly. Alex and Jack just forced a pitiful attempt at a laugh, while everyone else waited for a reaction.
"I need to… get some air." Jack said quickly, his expression smiling on the outside. He made his way out of the bus, starting to breathe heavily. He was so confused and he wanted to know the answer to all of this. Why couldn't he just be normal and like girls? Why did he have to fall for his best friend? He felt like ripping his hair out as he held his face in his hands, crying out and kicking up the gravel beneath his feet. He didn't even care if someone heard him. He just wanted answers.
"J-Jack…" He heard the voice he most wanted to hear, but also the one he wanted to run from. He spun around, wiping away the beginnings of tears before he faced the blonde haired singer. He looked just as broken as Jack felt. "I-I…. I don't know what that was tonight." Alex lied. He knew perfectly well what he felt, but he didn't want to accept that just yet.
Jack felt as if all the air had left his lungs. "What?" He asked, not able to process the information he'd been given so blatantly.
"I don't know what you felt… but I'm not like that." Alex lied yet again. It felt awful to say this to his best friend in the whole world, whom he would confide in about anything and everything, no matter how much it killed him inside to say it out loud. But this was different. It was undiscovered territory and Alex was afraid. Jack didn't know what to say. Oh, he knew what he wanted to say, but he couldn't put it into words. Not if Alex was so against being with him…
"I didn't feel a thing… It was a stage act, wasn't it?" Jack said, not able to cover up the disgust in his voice. He wanted Alex to feel shitty. He wanted Alex to feel what he was feeling and by the look on his face, it was working pretty well on Jack's part. "You should go call Lisa before people have the time to take it the wrong way." Jack added bitterly, feeling his blood boil as he pushed past the dumbstruck boy in front of him and made his way back onto the bus.
Alex was left to stand there, speechless. He felt he had just lost his best friend.
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The next day, Alex had hoped Jack would come around, but the younger boy didn't so much as glance at him. Rian had noticed fairly early. Everyone else did, but they hadn't actually confided in either of the boys about it.
"Alex?" Rian asked after the rest of the band and crew had left the bus to go get breakfast. Alex was still sitting on the couch, staring at the blank tv screen. He looked up at the sound of Rian's voice. He felt as if he'd completely lost that wonderful sleep from the night with Jack. He was back to square one.
"Man, you look awful…" Rian said softly, sitting next to the silent boy. "Look… I have no clue what's going on, but I have to say something as a best friend of both of you…" He said, sighing. "You don't have to tell me, but I just want you to know that…" He stopped, not sure how to phrase his next words. "I think… You should give this a go." Rian said, sucking in his breath.
Alex just stared at him. "What the fuck are you saying? Jack and I are not like that!" Alex said, suddenly upset that Rian had just jumped to conclusions that were actually pretty damn obvious to everyone. Alex stood up quickly. "Don't ever think that… I have a girlfriend, Rian!" He said, growing more and more distressed at every word.
"Calm down! I just… there was no denying that was the most real thing I've ever seen, Alex. And the sooner you realize that, the better…" Rian said before getting up and walking out the door towards IHOP. Alex sat in stunned silence. He felt as if the world had some crashing down onto his shoulders. And in that moment, he knew nothing would ever be the same.